Welcome to the Council on
Strategic Risks (CSR) Podcast Network! Here we speak with leading experts who
are working to anticipate, analyze, and address core systemic risks to security
in the 21st Century. Our second episode focuses on China.

This podcast begins with a discussion on the recent
debates about China’s position regarding nuclear weapons and arms control
treaties. They then branch into nuclear energy, which for China is an issue
tightly linked with climate change—including in its diplomacy. In a state
visit to France in March of 2019, President Xi made several remarks about the
importance of international cooperation on nuclear energy and climate change.

For China and its neighbors, expected climate change impacts include higher temperatures, an increase in extreme weather events, rising seas, and warmer ocean temperatures. The latter is already impacting regional fisheries and contributing to an uptick in maritime confrontations over natural resources.

This podcast drives home
the importance of understanding the combination of these different security
trends emerging in the same geographic area. The headwaters of South Asia’s
major rivers, a regional freshwater system that is already experiencing
climate-related stress, begin in the Tibetan Plateau where China has been
constructing hydro-projects along rivers to accommodate growing food, water,
and energy needs. This will continue to impact the water supply of downstream
neighbors, including nuclear-armed Pakistan and India. This podcast highlights
the importance of analyzing the potential intersections of these factors in
order to prevent calamitous miscalculations.

Earlier this year, CSR’s
Working Group noted that China is a major player in every region of the world.
Beijing is shaping major economic, strategic, and security outcomes throughout
Africa, South America, the Middle East, the South China Sea, and beyond. This
episode underscores the importance of understanding China’s widespread
geopolitical influence.

CSR’s Podcast Network will regularly feature exclusive dialogues with leading security and international affairs experts. Stay tuned for cutting-edge discussions on the world’s existential and strategic risks, and the ways in which these challenges are converging. Subscribe to the CSR Podcast Network’s YouTube channel to never miss an episode! Or listen to the audio version on iTunes and subscribe now to get real-time updates. If you’re one of those already subscribed on iTunes, we always welcome your ratings and reviews, as this helps us get the podcast out there to more listeners!